EC GLASS BAND ALUMNI

The following is an article written by Annie McCallum that appeared in the Lynchburg News & Advance on May 25, 2007.  The article featured a profile of Neal Haworth, a former Director of Bands at EC Glass High School from 1970 to 1975 who helped direct the Spring Concert.

Encore! 30 years later

Nearly 30 years have passed since one of E.C. Glass High School’s most influential band directors conducted a student performance in the school’s auditorium.

Credited with starting the Lynchburg Band Classic and founding and directing the Lynchburg Community Band, former band director Neal Haworth left his mark on the Hill City.

Thursday night Haworth once again directed band members as a guest conductor at the band’s spring concert, which was also a reunion for band alumni.

“It’s been so much fun and so exciting,” he said.

Haworth, who served as director from 1970 to 1978, said his return to Glass was meaningful.

“It was important because they invited me. It was a real compliment,” Haworth said.

An enthusiastic community and group of band students and parents, he said, marked his tenure as band director.

“The thing I want to say is thank you to the city of Lynchburg,” he said. “Not many band directors get a chance to go to a school like E.C. Glass.”

His wife, Margaret Haworth, and their two daughters also attended the concert. Before the concert they reminisced about time spent in the halls of Glass and time traveling with the band. Margaret said when her daughters were young they thought of the band as their very own.

A lot has changed since their time in Lynchburg, though - a new band room and renovated auditorium, they noted, and there were no more blue velour seats in the auditorium. 

But when Haworth took his place in front of the band it seemed little had changed. The lights cast a glow on him; he gave the students quick words of encouragement. Haworth seemed at home.

During the concert he was honored with a proclamation from Lynchburg Mayor Joan Foster, which will hang in the band room.

Linda Bailey, an E.C. Glass band alumna from the Haworth era, said she wouldn’t have missed the emotional evening.

“Music is a universal language and I always believe that,” the former percussionist said.

It was because of that universal quality, she said, so many alumni attended the event.

“I think it’s a celebration of the tradition of excellence,” Bailey said.

Ed Burnette, E.C. Glass class of ’71, couldn’t stop smiling when he described the influential leader Haworth was to him. For Burnette, who played the trumpet, the whole evening had a sense of nostalgia. He was happy to see many fellow band alums.

Burnette smiled and nodded.

“I think it shows there’s a very special bond among band members,” he said.

EC GLASS STILL SEARCHING FOR BAND ALUMNI 

If you are an alumnus of the EC Glass Band, the EC Glass Band Program is looking for you!   

“Whether you were a member of the concert band, symphonic band, jazz band, or marching band, including guard and drum majors, we are looking for you,” said to Larry Seipp, Director of Bands at EC Glass High School. 

For more than 75 years, the EC Glass Band has a proud “tradition of excellence” with more than 3,000 students having participated over the program.   

To register as an “EC Glass Band Alumnus”, please visit www.ecglassreunions.com or send an email to ecgbandalumni@yahoo.com.  You may also contact Sharon Grunwell Jennings at (434) 384-8088.  For additional information on the EC Glass Band Program, please visit www.ecglassband.org. 

Please register as an “EC Glass Band Alumnus”, or send an email to ecgbandalumni@yahoo.com  .  You may also contact Sharon Grunwell Jennings at (434) 384-8088.  For additional information on the EC Glass Band Program, please visit www.ecglassband.org .